


Capture

by blupeach



Category: VALORANT (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sex, Love Confessions, Non-Consensual Touching, Romance, Torture, sage gets kidnapped, sova goes on a warpath, sova is angy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blupeach/pseuds/blupeach
Summary: After a mission gone awry, Sage is kidnapped by Kingdom. Sova comes to grips with his relationship with her, and what they want for each other.
Relationships: Sage/Sova (VALORANT)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 49





	1. Dance with Me

**Author's Note:**

> A Sova/Sage heavy fic with some other things. These stories are a bit too long to put into my "Short Stores" work and they also have continuity, whereas my other fics don't, so I made it something separate.

Sage sighed as she closed the balcony doors, the raging party still going on behind her in the hotel lobby. She was no stranger to parties; the younger members of the Valorant Protocol were always ready to celebrate a victory. However, this party was too much on Sage. All of her senses were flooded as music blared in her ears, the smell of alcohol flooded her nose and people were dancing wildly, sometimes pushing and shoving one another. She found a much needed tranquility on the balcony, the music and the sounds becoming just muffles lost to the wind from the beach that the hotel overlooked. She took off her high heels as well, letting her feet breath as she stared longingly into the distance of the glimmering ocean horizon. 

As much as she would like to jump over the balcony railing and onto the beach without a care in the world, she was here for a mission. Killjoy and Cypher had a contact in the Kingdom corporation and were preparing to meet them at the hotel, using the rowdy party as cover. Brimstone, Skye, Sage and Sova were there to provide backup should they need it. 

“Too much to handle, Sage?” a rough, familiar voice said behind her. Sage turned around and saw Sova closing the balcony door behind him, with two champagne flutes in his hands. Sage gave him a tired smile and nodded. 

“Would you like to drink?” Sova held one of the champagne flutes out to her. Sage took the drink from the hunter’s hand gingerly. She sipped it a couple of times, before downing the remaining sparkling drink all in one gulp. 

“You look good.” Sova said, eyeing her sideways. 

“Thank you. Jett helped pick it out.” Sage responded, with a furious blush starting to creep on her cheeks. 

\-----

_ “Are you sure about this, Jett?” _

_ “Yeah, I’m sure. Look at you! You look dashing! You should show off more often!” Jett replied, giving her a pat on the shoulder.  _

_ “If you say so.” Sage turned around in the mirror in front of her.  _

_ “I’m sure Sova would like it.” Jett wiggled her eyebrows and gave her a smug grin.  _

\-----

She looked down at her dress, which was slightly showy, revealing parts of her cleavage. The dress went slightly above her knees, which gave an air of innocence but also was dangerously sexy. Her attire had drawn some unwanted attention from creepy onlookers, whom she made sure to distance from herself very quickly. However, the way Sova looked at her was anything but. The shine and sparkle in his eyes was that of adoration, not lust. He was leaning on the marble balcony railing, his chin in his hands. She wanted to curse the wind radiant for the unwanted attention earlier in the night, but now that she had the look of absolute adoration of Sova’s face, she was ready to give the girl a hug. 

“You look good as well.” Sage replied. Sova was dressed in a suit and tie, which was rare. Sage was used to seeing Sova in his mission clothes or a heavy sweater and sweatpants. It was the first time she saw him in something so formal. 

“Thank you. Skye tailored it so it would fit me.” Sova replied. 

“Skye?” Sage mused. 

“Yes. For someone who has lived in the Australian outback for most their life, she is surprisingly good at tailoring.” Sova added, tugging at his lapel. 

Sage shuddered as a particularly cold breeze rippled through her short dress. Sova, being the gentleman he was, took off his blazer, and set it around Sage’s shoulder, making her give a shy smile to the hunter. 

“I wonder when Cypher and Killjoy are going to be done.” Sage muttered under her breath. It was not like her to become impatient, but the radio silence from Cypher and Killjoy was not comforting in the slightest. 

“While we have some time, would you like a dance?” Sova asked suddenly. Sage turned her head and found that Sova was holding one of his hands out to her. 

“What?” Sage replied dumbly, staring at him.

“A dance.” Sova repeated. 

“Oh, I don’t want to go back in. I’m not good at dancing either.” Sage said with reluctance in her voice. She wasn’t ready to go back into the hotel lobby, even if the blaring drums and bass changed to a more melodious piano. 

“It’s okay. We can dance out here. I’ll lead.” Sova said. He gently took Sage’s hand and pulled her in, putting his other hand on her waist. Sage put her other hand on Sova’s shoulder, and began to sway to rhythm. Sova’s steps were graceful and smooth and Sage felt frustrated that her steps seemed to feel clunky. 

“You are way too good at this.” Sage mumbled under her breath, continued to step and move in tandem with the music and Sova. 

“I’ve had experience.” Sova mentioned. 

“Oh.” Sage felt a tiny bit of jealousy build up in her.

“You're doing well.” Sova assured her, with a smile on his face. They continued to sway and hold each other until the song was over. When the last melody of the song faded away, they pulled each other into a warm embrace, with Sage’s neck in the crook of Sova’s neck.

_ I wish I could stay like this forever.  _

Sova suddenly heard a gruff voice in his earpiece, disrupting the tranquility of the moment. Sova pulled away from Sage to reply.

“Yes, Brimstone? _ Da. _ ” Sova said, pulling his hand off his earpiece. 

“It seems like the old man wants something from both of us. Let’s get going.” Sova said, with much disappointment in his voice. 

Sage nodded, taking Sova’s hand and following him back into the hotel lobby. As soon as they opened the balcony door, the heat, smell, and sounds all came flooding Sage’s senses again. The masses were just as rowdy as when Sage first left for some fresh air. The party did not show any signs of stopping soon. They quickly took the elevator to the 5th floor where they were staying. 

As soon as Sova took out his key to the hotel room, Sage heard a soft clicking sound. Sage immediately scanned the area, suddenly on alert but before she could find the origins of the sound, she heard something whistle through the air. 

_ Thwip! _

Something embedded itself in Sova’s neck, what looked to be a small needle. 

“Sage, whuzz happe…” Sova fell unconscious, face first onto the floor.    


“Sova!” Sage tried to pick up the hunter off the floor but he was heavy as a concrete. Upon further inspection, Sage saw the tranquilizer dart stuck in Sova’s neck. Sage quickly sprinted away from the source of the sound, her heart pounding in her chest. Sova was too heavy to pick up and opening the door would take too long. Staying would endanger her as well. 

However, her quick thinking and reflexes were not enough. She heard another soft click and release, and found a sudden pain in her leg. Her running stopped to a crawl, as she felt all the energy drain from her muscles. Her mind became more and more clouded as she struggled to keep her eyes open, the edges of her consciousness becoming further and further away, until at last she ebbed into murky darkness. 

“Gotcha.”

\------

“Oh, I think he’s coming to, cap.” 

Sova felt the light piercing through his eyes, much brighter than it usually was. He squinted and struggled to keep his eyes open as he looked around the room. His head was pounding and he grumbled as he forced himself to sit up on the soft bed he was placed on. Once his sight was restored, he found himself in a recovery room in what looked like a hospital. He could hear the familiar beep of the EKG, and the smell of sanitizing alcohol throughout the room. Skye and Brimstone were at the foot of his bed, conversing. 

“What happened?” Sova struggled to ask, his voice croaking with difficulty.

“The contact Cypher and Killjoy were supposed to meet sold them out. It was a trap. Kingdom knew all along what we were going to do.” Brimstone replied, with heaviness in his voice. 

“Are they okay?” Sova asked.

“Cypher came out okay. The kid, however...” Skye pulled the curtain that was separating him and the patient to his right. 

Sova let out a small gasp as he looked at the genius of Germany. Her trademark beanie was tattered to shreds and her exposed black hair was caked with blood. Her lip was bruised and swollen and her eye was black. There were bandages across her abdomen and legs, covering wounds that Sova was sure that he didn’t want to see. 

“Will she be okay?” Sova asked.

“Yeah, she’ll be okay. The doctors patched her up good.” Brimstone said.

“Sage! Where is she?” Sova stood up suddenly but sat back down as he felt a swarm of dizziness overwhelm him. 

“Easy there.” Skye gently pushed Sova back on the bed. 

“Where is she?” Sova asked again. Sova noticed that Skye and Brimstone were avoiding eye contact. Skye bit her lip and picked nervously at her fingernails. Sova patiently waited for an answer, hoping that what he thought had happened hadn’t happened. 

As if it was a sick prank from the god above, Cypher burst through the infirmary door.

“Kingdom kidnapped her. They’ve taken her somewhere.” Cypher said somberly, dampening the mood further in the room. His hat was in his hands, and he was nervously fidgeting with it. 

Sova felt a pang in his heart. It was replaced by sadness, then numbness then rage. Skye noticed that Sova was shuffling in his bed and that his eyes were blank. Sova had lost loved ones to Kingdom before. Sova was being a constant pain in Kingdom’s behind, and they, in an act of cowardice, burned down his house and his grandmother's life. Now they took the person he loved most. Sova couldn’t let this slight go unanswered. Sova ripped the IV out of his arm and stood up abruptly. 

“Sova, wait…” Cypher was shoved beside by Sova as he slammed the door behind him. Cypher went to follow Sova but Skye held him back. Skye knew better than to incur the hunter’s wrath. 


	2. I Love Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of torture and non-consensual touching. Reader discretion is advisable.

Sage came to in a dark room, feeling the edges of her consciousness become closer and closer together until she could feel and see again. She became acutely aware of the cold air rippling through the room. She looked down and saw that the beautiful dress that Jett had picked up was tattered and torn, exposing pretty much everything. She smelled blood, rust, and rot in the room and she felt uncomfortable in the chair she was sitting in. She struggled to get up and felt the rough ropes binding her hands together and keeping her feet rooted. She looked around frantically trying to peer through the darkness in the room. There was only one lightbulb in the area and it was directly over Sage’s chair. 

_ Okay, calm yourself, Sage. Try and find something that will get you out of here.  _

Sage looked around in the darkness and found a table with what looked like medical instruments on it. Sage tried dragging her chair across the floor, maybe finding something sharp on the table that would be of use. As soon as she got close to the table, all the lights turned on inside the room and a door opened at the far end with a prominent click. The sudden burst of light startled Sage and made her squint her eyes to accommodate the newfound brightness. When she collected her bearings she found a man in a lab coat approaching her. He was tall, and lanky, with wily, wild brown hair. 

“Oh no no no, we can’t have you escaping now can we?” The man grabbed Sage’s chair and shoved it back towards the center of the room where she started. 

“Who are you? What are you going to do to me?” Sage asked. Her voice was ragged. As if confirming her own suspicions, the Kingdom logo was etched onto the side of the lab coat. 

“Oh, I’m just here to recruit you. As for who I am, I am not willing to disclose that.” He gave her a smile. Sage couldn’t discern if it was a genuine one or a façade. 

“You work for Kingdom, yes?”

“Why yes I do!” He said with too much enthusiasm, musing over the many instruments on the table. 

“What makes you think that I would work with someone like you?” Sage wasn’t convinced. The corporation had a dark side that many either were oblivious to or choose to ignore for material gain. She had heard stories from Cypher, Sova, and Skye and Jett where the corporation takeover had led to the loss of their homes and the lives of those closest to them. 

“Oh, you wouldn’t be working with me. Not at all. I work in the PR department. You would be working in our special ops division. Having a radiant healer would be very useful to us. It would be less pressure on our doctors and surgeons.” 

“And what if I don’t want to?” Sage asked.

“My my, we have a lot of questions don’t we now?” the man said. “Well, hopefully it won’t come to this, but these are for people that are … less cooperative.” He picked up one of the various instruments on the table, waving them around nonchalantly. 

“For your sake, I wish you would just accept our offer. It would be less painful. My colleagues are … less nice for a lack of a better word.” the man said, putting down the instruments. 

“I won’t give in. I’m not working with a corporation that has done so much to hurt others.” Sage said, her voice dripping with venom and hurt. 

“Are you sure?” The man asked one more time, pressing the issue further. 

“Kingdom and everything it stands for repulses me.” 

He seemed to regard Sage with pity, sitting in silence until he finally arose from his chair. 

“I see. Goodbye, Sage. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” The scientist's face hardened, as he stood up. He took something out of the pocket of his lab coat. It was a sleep dart launcher. 

_ Not again.  _ Sage thought. 

Before Sage could open her mouth to object, the dart embedded itself into the side of her neck. Her consciousness faded once again as she plunged into darkness. 

\-----

The second time she regained consciousness, she awoke in the same room, with the lights being out again. Sage’s head was pounding as her eyes tried to regain focus, her vision still blurry. Once she gathered her bearings, she found another man tinkering with the instruments on the table. Unlike the man she met earlier she was shorter and was wearing a grey jacket. She couldn’t clearly see his face, part of it being covered by a mask. 

“Sage. The bastion of China. I’m going to have fun breaking you.” He seemed to sense that Sage had regained her consciousness, even though his back was turned to her. He picked up a small bottle, filling a syringe with the liquid inside and flicking it once there was a satisfactory amount in it. 

“I’m not weak. I dare you to try and break me.” Sage let out a growl as she struggled against her bonds. The rope was now cutting at her own wrists and she bit her lip as she became still. The stranger let out a sadistic laugh that started small, becoming louder and louder, until Sage was wondering if he was insane. 

“It doesn’t matter how strong you are. All you radiants are so stubborn and so righteous.” He jested. 

“It doesn’t matter what happens. Everyone does our bidding in the end. Everyone.“ He put much emphasis on that last word, expecting Sage to falter. 

“I won’t give into your sick desires. Let me go.” Sage seethed. She continued to struggle against her bonds as he dropped his torture instruments and began to step towards. 

“You're almost intimidating me. It’s kinda cute. You are very pretty after all.” the man said, his intent of sexual perversion very clear. Sage suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that she was still wearing the very tattered dress, which covered basically nothing. He began to run his hand up Sage’s inner thigh. Sage struggled even more and her efforts to break free became more laborious as she tried to lean away from the creep’s touch. 

“Get your filthy hands off me.“ Sage threatened. He continued running his hand up her abdomen, almost reaching her breast, stopping only when Sage spat at the man’s face. 

He stopped and chuckled, taking his hand off Sage. “Little kitty still has claws I see.” He stuffed a dirty cloth in her mouth, making sure that she couldn’t speak. 

“How shall we start?” he said, with excitement in his voice. “Oh, this will do. ” the man picked up a bucket full of cold water and swished it around as he approached her. 

Sage’s chair was tilted backwards as the man began trickling the water over her face, making it hard to breath. Sage tried to twist her head to avoid the stream of water from suffocating her. The water seemed to be never ending and as Sage’s breath seemed to run out and her vision started swimming her chair was slammed forward again. 

“MmmMmmM!” Sage was livid, shaking the water off her face. Her voice struggled against the gag in her mouth. 

“Still resisting? It’s fine, it's more fun for me. Let’s try this.” He picked up a small black object. When he clicked a button on the object, electricity crackled between two metal tips. 

As Sage braced herself for the shock, she breathed deeply, and collected her thoughts.

_ My name is Sage. I am part of the Valorant Protocol. I will not join Kingdom. The others will come for me.  _

She felt the electrical contacts jab into her chest and thrashed about. She screamed, the pain striking and crackling throughout her body. She continued to resist as she repeated the thoughts in her head. 

_ My name is Sage. I am part of the Valorant Protocol. I will not join Kingdom. The others will come for me. My name is Sage. I am part of the Valorant Protocol. I will not join Kingdom. The others will come for me.  _

\-----

“I know you’re emotionally compromised.“ Brimstone started. 

“I have a personal stake in this.” Sova replied.

“Sova.” Brimstone raised his voice with warning. 

“I’m going. I do not care about who you choose to go on this raid.” 

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I love her.” Sova mumbled. 

“What was that?” 

“Because I love her!” As he shouted the words, they echoed throughout the room. The sudden statement startled the commander. His hard gaze softened.

“They have Sage. I’m going whether or not you want me to. But by all means try to stop me.” His voice was barely a whisper but they seemed to have so much volume. It added to the thick atmosphere between the hunter and the commander. Sova started to take his rifle off the wall, and began feeding bullets into a magazine. 

“Be at the airfield in 10 minutes. Bring your gear and everything else. We’re going to get her back.” Brimstone conceded, closing the door behind him as he began to prepare for the mission. 

“This won’t do.” Sova said. Throwing the rifle back on the wall, he opened a large crate under his bed, lifting a large machine gun and a bolt action sniper out. 

\-----

“Owl boy is coming too? Hell yeah!” Breach asked. He was swapping fusion cores from his arms in preparation for the raid. 

“I’ve hadn’t heard about this.” Reyna mused. 

“Alright, lets go. Cypher uploaded his map and will be directing the flight. She was found several miles outside of Reykjavik.” Brimstone said, slinging his rifle over his back. 

“How did you find her?” Sova asked.

“I chipped her.” Cypher threw out nonchalantly. 

“You what?” Sova pressed.

“Not just her, all of you.” Cypher reassured. "They’re inactive until something like this happens. Don’t think about it too much. It's for your safety.” he continued.

“Alright everyone, time is of the essence. Cypher, get on and ready the autopilot. Everyone else, get you gear ready.” Brimstone waved his hand towards the plane. 

Sova lugged his machine gun up to the plane and sat down in one of the seats, letting out a sigh. He leaned his head back when someone knelt down in front of him and put their hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get her back. We know how much she means to you.” Jett gave him a reassuring smile. 

Sova gave a slight smile in return, and thanked the fellow agent. 

_ I’m coming Sage. Please stay safe.  _

  
  



	3. You Cannot Break the Broken

All Sage could see was white. 

_ “Am I dead? No, no I can’t be.”  _ she thought. 

Sage craned her neck upwards to look around as she gathered her bearings. She squinted as the white headlights pierced through her half-lidded eyes. 

She was not in heaven. 

She had no recollection of how in the room. She looked around as saw medical instruments lining the table next to her, covered in plastic, the metal and aluminum gleaming in the light. She felt her back on some sort of leather examination table.  _ Had the others rescued her?  _ Her body was covered by a cloth hospital gown, which thankfully covered her completely, unlike the tattered party dress she wore in the Kingdom interrogation room. She felt more at ease in the hospital room. The smell of alcohol contrasted sharply with the bilge, blood, and rot in the prison cell she was held in before. An IV was hooked to her arm. 

As she moved to get up she felt resistance on her hands and legs. She craned her neck upwards to see that rubber straps were holding her arms and legs in place. She began to panic as she uselessly struggled against the bonds. 

“Oh! You’re finally awake!” She heard a chipper feminine voice and the clacking of heels to her left. Sage twisted her head to the source of the sound. 

“Great! We can finally get started.”

“Started with what?” Sage asked with suspicion in her voice. Sage’s panic only increased as the woman did not answer her question. 

“Doctor, why am I being restrained?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” The woman waved nonchalantly. Her voice was meant to calm Sage, but it did the precise opposite. It only made her grow more restless.

Sage swiveled her head to look at her right shoulder. The woman was rubbing alcohol on it with a pad with one hand, and a small syringe in the other. 

“What is…” Sage never finished her sentence before the needle pierced her skin. She inched away from the shot, but she could only move so far before her restaurants kept her in place. She felt her muscles and mind go to mush as the clear liquid was injected into her. 

“Please… stop this,” Sage said. Her voice caught in her throat, making her sound pathetic and submissive. 

“What are...you going...to do with me?” Sage’s mouth was numb and she struggled to formulate words in her mouth. Her voice seemed wavy and far away. Her resolve and her willingness to fight simmered away as her eyes began to droop. As her eyes lost focus, she caught one glimpse of the woman’s ID card wrapped around on a lanyard on her neck. A picture, and a prominent silver K logo next to her name. 

_ “I let my guard down.”  _ she thought. However hard her mind was telling her to resist, another part of her told her not to. Her clenched fists became unfurled as she stopped writhing against the straps holding her down. 

“Shh, it’ll be over soon. We’ll make you perfect.” The woman giggled. 

_ “I’m sorry everyone. I’m sorry, Sova.” _ the last defiant thread of consciousness in her mind said, before it too, was snipped away. 

\-----

“So what's the word on the objective, Cypher?” Breach asked, his voice booming as usual. 

The agents were in a safe room near the base. Due to the nature of the mission, they had no time to scout beforehand and we’re going into uncharted territory. Cypher did his best to update the agents on the logistics of the mission, however unprepared he felt. 

“It’s big, to say the least. They have a ground level and 4 subterranean levels each with different amounts of security. They also have a laboratory near the entrance of the base.” Cypher placed a large tablet on the table for all the agents to observe.

He switched to an overhead view of the base and pointed to several yellow dots. 

“A chain link fence is the only thing that separates the base and the outside. For a well-populated base, its camera grid is small. I’ve found some blind spots where we could easily slip through.” Cypher continued. 

“Are there cameras in the interior?” Sova asked the informant.

“Yes.”

“Did you see where Sage was being held?"

“Errrr, wherever they’re holding her, there were no cameras.” Cypher hesitated, fearing Sova wouldn’t like his answer. 

“Блядь”  Sova cursed under his breath. He could only imagine why Kingdom would take her to a place where they didn’t want her to be seen. 

“Well, then let’s go!” Jett jumped out of her seat before Brimstone grabbed her and made her sit back on the chair. 

“We move at night,” Brimstone said. “The snow and terrain will make us stand out if we attempt our raid now.”

“Nightfall?! What are we supposed to do? She could be gone by the time we arrive! We can’t just wait!” Sova’s voice cracked with emotion, his voice startling Cypher and Jett. Everyone was surprised at Sova’s sudden outburst. 

He turned towards Brimstone and after seeing his face, he winced. Brimstone stared down the hunter. He knew that he was giving him extreme liberties by even letting him on the mission in the first place. The face on the commander's face was firm. He was not going to concede any more ground to Sova. However bad the feeling of waiting until nightfall felt, Sova knew it was the best (and only) option. He would only have to hope that Sage could hold out in the few hours until the agents of Valorant began their operation. 

“Shh, hermano. He’s right.” Reyna interjected. “More cover, less security, and the element of surprise. We don’t know how many people are situated at the base. We can’t just rush in with so little intel.”

“Sunset happens at 1800 hours, agents. I suggest that you get ready before then.” Brimstone addressed the group, before dismissing himself, muttering under his breath about how his wrist-mounted gadget wasn’t working again. 

\-----

Sova went to the far corner of his room, where his belongings were. Sova took off his blue cloak, instead of donning a white cloak and a puffy winter camo jacket. Before he threw his discarded clothes to the side, he reached into the pockets in one of his jackets. He pulled out a small photograph, staring at it longingly. 

It was their first date together. Sage suggested taking a selfie of them. Her rosy cheeks and bright smile were captured beautifully at the moment. He put the picture to the side and began cleaning out the sniper rifle he brought with him. The hunter gingerly took apart the gun parts, cleaning each individually with a cloth. He was so immersed in his little bubble that the hunter didn’t realize someone sat down next to him. 

The hunter turned his head and his eyes fell on black and purple locks of hair. She was smiling endearingly at the hunter. 

“Reyna.” Sova regarded her politely. They didn’t interact much beyond missions. Something told Sova that what Reyna wanted to talk to her about wasn’t strictly about work.

“Do you always carry that picture around?” Reyna asked.

“Yes,” Sova admitted sheepishly. 

A moment of silence passed between the two of them before Reyna broke the tension. 

“I used to hate her,” Reyna admitted, looking at the picture. Sova raised an eyebrow at her comment, feeling a protective urge suddenly overcome him. 

“I thought that I would never find the balance of life. Everything I knew and loved was destroyed. Taken away. I feed off death and agony. She helped me find balance. Peace. Soul.” Reyna continued. 

Sova kept listening to her, holding the photo close. “What are you trying to tell me?” he asked.

“I think we all find solace in her. Especially you.” Reyna said. “I want her back as much as you do. We all do. 

“We’ll get her back. I’ve everything and everyone I loved to this wretched corporation. I’m not going to lose anymore.” Reyna said with determination. She held her hand out to Sova, gesturing to him to give her the gun barrel. She grabbed a cloth and began to clean as well, using a small rod to shove the cloth inside. 

“I know you feel responsible for her kidnapping. But so do we. We all feel responsible.“ Reyna gave the cleaned rifle barrel back to Sova, who began reassembling the high calibre machine. 

“Everyone knows how much you care for each other. We will have your back every step of the way.” Reyna concluded. 

Sova felt more at ease. The vampiric radiant’s words gave him a sense of purpose and confidence, washing away his nervousness and despair. Something he much needed. 

“You are a more comforting presence than you give yourself credit for.” Sova gave with a smile.

“Remember what you always say? ‘Level heads until we get home, yes? Good.’” Reyna said, trying to imitate his harsh Russian accent. 

“Yes, yes.” Sova chuckled, holding the assembled rifle in his hands again. 

“Speaking of.” Reyna pointed outside the window of the small safe room. Sova peered over the edge and saw only half the Sun, the other half being covered by the icy landscape that spanned the horizon. The sun made the sky turn orange and pink, and the sun reflected off the snow gave it an ethereal shine. He noticed that all the agents were bustling, strapped to the teeth, and ready to move out. 

“It’s time,” Reyna said. Sova nodded grimly. Slinging the sniper rifle over his back, and the machine gun in hand, they set off into the harsh Iceland winter night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sitting on this chapter for a full week. This is the ninth version of the chapter, but it turned out good (I think). I hope you enjoy :).


	4. Hunter's Wrath

“Stupid cold,” Jett grumbled. She rubbed her arms, the fabric of her long sleeves feeling hard against her whitening fingers. 

“Mhm,” Reyna shivered and nodded in agreement. The frigid temperatures of Reykjavik were not kind to her either. 

Sova was affected less by the temperature, though this time he was not sure why. He felt a warmth overcome him. Maybe it was his years of living in the Russian tundra, maybe it was boiling anger bubbling inside of him, maybe it was the thought of finally being able to see Sage again. The hunter felt maybe things, all clashing inside of him. He shoved the crowding thoughts in his brain, refocusing on the task at hand. 

Their vantage point over the base was situated on the mountains. Sova held his sniper rifle in his hands, his watchful eye scanning the base through the scope. He noticed a severe lack of armed personnel, the base instead bustling with scientists and researchers. At most, there were a couple of security guards with pistols. 

The Kingdom base was not in fact a base. It seemed to be more of a research facility. The first and second levels of the building were all lit with bright lights, the large windows showing the busyness of the people inside. At least that was what was shown on the surface. The team knew that there was more to this facility than what met the eye. The four subterranean levels had to be for something. 

“So what’s the plan?” Jett asked, clearly eager for some action. 

“We sneak into the perimeter. Once we get in we go loud. Sage is being held underground somewhere. We have to breach into the tunnels and hopefully find her.” Brimstone laid out. 

“We’re not sneaking in?” Reyna asked. 

“There are too many eyes and too many people for a stealth mission. The more we have Kingdom on their back foot, the more advantageous it is for us. “ Brimstone said. 

“It’s a lucky thing you have me then. Let’s go.” Breach smiled, flexing his prosthetic arms as he began to scale down the mountain. 

\-----

Sova, to put it mildly, was terrifying. Everywhere behind him, there was a trail of dead bodies, bullet casings, and drying blood. The blackened warpath followed the hunter everywhere he went. Usually, it was Jett or Reyna at the forefront of the fight. This time, Reyna found herself feeding on Sova’s leftovers and Jett eating Sova’s dust. 

“Yo! Slow down!” Jett pulled out her knives to sprint faster. 

“Save some for me, Sova!” Reyna exclaimed. Her empress mode was active, hungrily devouring the souls left behind by the hunter. 

Sova pretended not to hear. He was starting to get tinnitus from all of the machine-gun fire, his finger not letting go of the trigger once. He didn’t care about the security guard shooting back at him. He didn’t care if he was taking civilian casualties. All these researchers and scientists were complicit. They were all the enemy in Sova’s eyes. 

When Sova let go of the machine gun to begin to reload yet another box magazine, he heard Cypher’s voice in the comm piece in his ear. 

“Reinforcements are coming soon. I suggest all of you take a left. Brimstone will deal with the rest.” Cypher said cryptically. 

“What about you?” Sova asked. 

“I’ll be fine. Go get Sage. I’ll rendevous with you guys later.” Cypher said, ending the transmission. 

Sova redirected his attention to his surroundings, making sure all the others were with him. When he walked down the left hallway as Cypher had said, the agents met a reinforced metal door, with the words “SUBTERRANEAN LEVEL B” painted in yellow across them. 

Sova noticed the handprint scanner and the colossal lock across the door. “How are going to get past this without access? ” 

“Don’t need it,” Brimstone said, pulling something out of his satchel and attaching it to the door. When Brimstone was done, the door was covered in plastic explosives. 

“Uh, guys? We should hurry!” Jett yelled. The sound of helicopter blades started to become more and more prominent. 

“Breaching!” Brimstone primed the charges, and seconds later, the doors were blasted open with a deafening explosion. 

“Go, go, go!” Jett yelled dashing past them. The rest followed behind her. The agents plunged into the metal underground, the dark tunnels swallowing them whole. 

\-----

Sova scanned the dark corridors, his senses heightened by the alarm ringing in his ears. He could hear the heavy boots of Kingdom reinforcements stomping above him as he navigated the tunnels. The agents decided to split up and fan out to expedite their search for Sage. Sova swept every corner, every corridor, every nook and cranny to make sure that someone wouldn’t get him by surprise. 

The subterranean levels, as expected, hid some darker secrets that were kept far from the public eye. There were glass windows that let onlookers in the corridors peer into the rooms. One of the windows was stained with dried blood. Several others contained cruel experiments, dangerous weapons, and other gruesome sights that would definitely incriminate Kingdom if it ever saw the light of day. Seeing all those things made Sova hope that he wasn’t too late. 

Sova was about to turn away to search into another corridor when he stopped. He did a double-take, suspecting that he missed something, his prosthetic eye whirring in its socket. 

He did miss something. The room had a door, but no viewing window, which made it blend into the rest of the wall. The faint blue light shining underneath the door caught the hunter’s attention. Sova noticed the number 214 splayed across the door.

Sova ripped the door opened and quickly cleared the room, sweeping each of the corners. Once he finished, his eyes fell on the center of the room. 

Sage was tied to a chair, and her eyes were closed. She seemed to be mumbling something, what exactly, the hunter did not know. The gag in her mouth prevented her from enunciating her words. 

“I found Sage,” Sova whispered into his earpiece. 

“What? Where is she? Is she okay?” Sova could hear Jett’s concerned voice ring in his ears. 

“Subterranean level C, room 214, she seems stable for the time being.” 

“Got it, we’ll be there soon.”

He approached her and held a hand out to her face. It was chilly and clammy, a bead of sweat shining on Sae’s forehead. Sova set down his machine gun to unsheath his knife. However, before Sova was able to pull out his knife to cut the twine holding Sage down, he heard an ominous click and something cold press up against the back of his head. 

“Drop your weapons.” A disembodied voice said. 

Sova inwardly cursed himself. He thought he cleared the room and was now paying the price for carelessness. He let his fingers loosen, the knife clattering to the floor. 

“Get on your knees. Put your hands on your head. Try anything funny and I’ll shoot her.” 

Sova obeyed the commands. He cursed himself again for picking such a heavy weapon. There was no way he could swing the machine gun in his assailant’s direction before he could shoot back. Sova was running out of ideas and running out of time. Kingdom forces would eventually surround the agents if they didn’t move quickly enough. 

As if it was a blessing from the gods above, Sova could hear footsteps in the corridor outside the door. 

“Looks like your time is up. My goons are almost here.” The voice laughed with an air of superiority. 

Sova tried hard to contain his smile. He knew the sound of those footsteps. The heavy thudding of rubber was mixed in with soft padded footsteps. 

“Tsk… Valorant was supposed to be the best of the best! This is their best? How piti…” the voice taunted. 

He never got to finish his thought. A dagger sliced through the air and into the man’s neck. As he gurgled blood, another plunged into the side of his head, confirming his death. 

Jett dashed past him and grabbed the daggers out of the now dead man’s body. 

“Gimme those back,” Jett said, looking at her kill with disdain. 

“We have to hurry. We’re going to have to fight our way out of here.” Brimstone said behind him. 

“Hmm. What else is new?” Breach quipped, watching for any potential attackers outside. 

Sova went to pick up Sage, but Jett beat him to it. She used her knives to cut across the twine, freeing the healing radiant from her bonds. 

“It’s better. I’ll be quick and I can avoid shots. You need to do the shooting this time.” Jett said, pulling Sage into a piggyback. She motioned towards the machine gun that Sova had set on the floor. 

As he was picking up the machine gun, he heard another voice in his comm. 

“I found their surveillance room. Kingdom forces are entering the tunnels. And there are several others outside waiting. Be prepared. And be quick.” Cypher added. 

“Thanks, friend,” Sova replied. He motioned to the others to follow, the agents mobilizing to fight their way back. 

\-----

“OFF YOUR FEET!” Breach’s kinetic burst thundered throughout the infrastructure, glass cracking and furniture being upheaved. When Sova peeked the subterranean level entrance, he found a swarm of Kingdom soldiers. Not that it mattered. Many were thrown up and knocked around. Those that were still standing found themselves too dazed to even shoot properly. 

Sova mowed them down easily as if they were bowling pins. 

“Reinforcements my ass! Haha!” Jett laughed. Even with the handicap of having to carry Sage, the Korean girl found it so easy dispatching the soldiers. 

The agents all made it back to the transport vehicle with relative ease. The Kingdom forces never stood a chance against the trained warriors. 

“Damn right we crushed it!” Jett yelled in excitement. 

\-----

Sova twidled with his fingers, sitting nervously in the back of the transport vehicle. 

The agents checked up on her and found no major injuries. However, Sage’s behavior was worrying. Her pupils were constantly dilated, and she was shaking. She seemed unresponsive at times, and sometimes had aversions of touch from the other agents. 

While the others said that with enough medical and mental attention, Sage’s behavior would normalize, Sova felt a hint of doubt. 

He could hear his teammates celebrating in the seats in front of him, the others animatedly talking. The ambient sounds all became muted as his eye shifted back to Sage. She seemed to be asleep, but Sova could tell that she was not getting any rest. Her eyes shifted and twitched constantly, and her breaths would sometimes get short and ragged. 

The mission had gone too well. He knew Kingdom was capable of more. Sage would have been a high-priority target and would have warranted much more protection. He felt that the victory was premature. 

_ Iceland is isolated. Maybe they didn’t think we would come so quickly. Maybe they thought they had more time. You have easy missions sometimes, you know? Don’t worry so much.  _

Despite his rationalization, the feeling of unrest never completely left Sova. Without even thinking, Sova grabbed Sage’s shaking hand, trying to rub comforting circles in her palm. Sova looked out into the snowy plains of Iceland, sincerely hoping that this would be the worst of their worries. 


End file.
